FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2009-205

Washington, D.C., Sept. 24, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Gregg Berman has been named a Senior Policy Advisor in its newly-established Division of Risk, Strategy, and Financial Innovation.

Mr. Berman comes to the SEC from the RiskMetrics Group, a company that focuses on risk management, corporate governance, and financial research and analysis. Mr. Berman held several senior positions during his 11-year tenure at RiskMetrics Group, most recently serving as the head of the global risk business. He also held positions in strategic development, and earlier served as the company's head of market risk. Mr. Berman will begin his work at the SEC next week.

"I am pleased that Gregg has agreed to accept this senior position," said Henry Hu, Director of the SEC's Division of Risk, Strategy, and Financial Innovation. "With a Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton and experience in nuclear research, hedge fund management, and financial modeling and analysis, Gregg has much to contribute. I anticipate benefiting in many ways from his insights."

Mr. Berman said, "I am honored to have been asked by Professor Hu to join this new division. The Commission's work could not be more important at this critical time. I much look forward to using an interdisciplinary approach, one involving economics, finance, and law, in a way that fairly addresses the needs of Main Street as well as Wall Street."

Prior to his work at RiskMetrics Group, Mr. Berman co-managed a private hedge fund, worked for an investment management company, and conducted research in experimental nuclear physics.

Mr. Berman earned a B.S. in Physics from M.I.T. in 1987, and earned a Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton University in 1994.

The newly-created Division of Risk, Strategy, and Financial Innovation combines the Office of Economic Analysis, the Office of Risk Assessment, and other functions to provide the Commission with sophisticated analysis that integrates economic, financial, and legal disciplines. The Division's responsibilities cover three broad areas: risk and economic analysis; strategic research; and financial innovation. With the creation of the Division of Risk, Strategy, and Financial Innovation, the SEC now has five divisions including the Division of Corporation Finance, the Division of Enforcement, the Division of Investment Management, and the Division of Trading and Markets.